This book highlights the basic properties of round bamboo and bamboo strips of various species worldwide. Processing and properties enhancing treatment of bamboo strips and round bamboo are discussed. It presents the structural applications of round and engineered bamboo and provides an insight on the potential applications as construction and building materials. Bamboo as multipurpose plant in various fields such as chemical feedstocks, energy sources, furniture, fabric, pulp and paper, and their recent developments are also discussed in detail. The book also includes the economic, social, and environmental assessment of bamboo products.

This book offers comprehensive insights into the management of agroforestry for livelihood security and sustainable development in the tropics, addressing ecological interactions, productivity, and the monetization of carbon credits, while also outlining a future roadmap and policy challenges. Agroforestry is a brilliant land use farming practice that covers 1.6 billion hectares (78 percent in the tropics and 22 percent in the temperate regions) to enhance plant diversification, productivity, and livelihood across generations, maintaining eco-restoration. It ensures socioeconomic upliftment and a standard livelihood for people along with many ecosystem services for sustainable development under resilient climates, which are today’s key topics popularized among policy makers, stakeholders, scientists, ecologists, and climate supporters in the tropical world. However, more than 75 percent of the world’s poor directly depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Adopting climate resilient agroforestry not only maximizes productivity and farmers’ socioeconomic status but also mitigates climate change issues through carbon sequestrations for better carbon management in the tropics. This book addresses agroforestry management for livelihood security and sustainable development in the tropics. Readers will earn about ecological interactions and productivity in tropical agroforestry ensuring greater ecosystem services and livelihood resilience under changing climates, as well as building livelihood resilience through monetization of carbon credits in agroforestry in the tropics. Livelihood and sustainability-based policy in agroforestry, its challenges, and a future roadmap are also covered. This volume provides new insights related to updated research, development and extension activities for combating climate change through carbon sequestration to enhance intensify greater productivity, and livelihood and ecosystem services for ensuring the goals of sustainable development.

The book consists of 19 chapters on different subjects and in different dimensions, with particular emphasis on the post-harvest handling and processing of fruits and vegetables, including mushrooms. Scope for the technology on fruits and vegetables, non-destructive methods to evaluate fresh quality, radiation preservation, chemistry of pectin and pigments and their applications, nutraceutical compounds, membrane processing of liquid fruits, dehydrated and intermediate moisture products, importance of bamboo and mushrooms as food, influence of process conditions on product quality, food additives in product preparation, packaging aspects, microbiological safety concerns, relevant analytical methods, mushroom nutraceuticals and bio-technological interventions for improvement of banana with a final note on conclusions in the last

Bamboo is an ordinary plant with extraordinary properties. With its high growth rate and self-renewing ability, bamboo’s sustainability is unparalleled. Bamboo is an important resource for a healthy planet, and its shoots hold manifold nutritional benefits. Based on 18 years of research, Bamboo Shoot: Superfood for Nutrition, Health and Medicine details health-promoting bioactive compounds found in bamboo and offers practical guidance on how this vegetable, bamboo shoot, is used for food fortification. Already a delicacy in many Asian countries, bamboo shoots aid in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Exploring the tradition and culture of bamboo in Asian countries, this book also provides information on the science behind the nutritional value of bamboo shoots. Written by individuals with expertise in bamboo shoot nutrition and fully illustrated in colour, this book reveals the antioxidant activity of bamboo shoots and discusses the potential for bamboo to be used as an ingredient in functional foods and nutraceuticals. This highly practical book discusses processing and packaging of shoots for long term storage and using bamboo in the development of novel food products. Features: Elucidates the nutrients and phytochemicals in over 30 bamboo species and includes a glossary of scientific names Highlights the nutraceutical and antioxidant properties of bamboo Describes novel healthy food products fortified with bamboo shoots and provides food recipes using bamboo Explains how bamboo can help countries achieve their sustainable development goals, from poverty reduction, food security, improved nutrition and prevention of diseases to climate change mitigation and inclusive green economic development Aimed at professionals in the nutrition and food processing industry, this book appeals to those with an interest in incorporating bamboo into a healthier lifestyle. Endorsements This is a unique book interestingly crafted to highlight the important nutritional, health and medicinal aspects of Bamboo, an area that is greatly underexplored. It will bring awareness that bamboo shoots are a low calorie, high fibre nutritious vegetable packed with vitamins and minerals. - Prof. Cherla Sastry, Founding Director General INBAR and Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto, Canada This book brings a series of answers to all questions related to bamboo as a superfood [and will] enlighten readers how to transform bamboo shoots using either traditional or modern techniques, how to package them and how to use them as a functional and nutraceutical food. It also provides a series of cooking recipes for healthy eating while we enjoy our food. - Ximena Londoño, Founder, A Bamboo and Guadua Paradise, Colombia

“Green gold” or “Poor Man’s Timber” are commonly used terms for bamboo that is a valuable and renewable resource of the world, and has always been an elemental part of human beings in terms of social and economic value. Bamboo is considered a multipurpose plant and has a prolonged history as an adaptable and extensively used renewable resource in conventional and commercial applications. Therefore, the annual demands for bamboos have already out-crossed the annual yields across the world. And the current scenario has forced scientists to pay more attention to the utilization of biotechnological tools for better understanding and improving bamboos. The book provides an overview of the different biotechnological approaches to advance bamboo research and better utilization of bamboo resources for human beings. Various applications of biological techniques in relation to bamboo have been discussed in details, for example, plant tissue culture techniques, somatic embryogenesis, germplasm conservation techniques, use of the molecular markers, transcriptomics, polymorphism, and phylogenetic relations in bamboo. It also addresses the novel industrial applications of bamboo in structural, food, and pharmaceuticals along with traditional uses. The aggregated information in this book demonstrates the way for the improved and sustainable practice of bamboos to fulfill the future needs of the world. This book is intended for use in both the industry and academia

Dr.Poornima Jeyasekaran, Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

The bioeconomy concept aims to add sustainability to the production, transformation, and trade of biological goods. Though implemented around the world, the development of national bioeconomies is uneven, especially in the global South, where major challenges exist in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, the international BiomassWeb project aimed to underpin the bioeconomy concept by applying the value web approach, which seeks to uncover complex interlinked value webs instead of linear value chains. The project also aimed to develop intervention options to strengthen and optimize the synergies and trade-offs among different value chains. The Special Issue “Advances in Food and Non-Food Biomass Production, Processing and Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: Toward a Basis for a Regional Bioeconomy" compiles 23 articles produced in this framework. The articles are grouped in four sections: the value web approach; the production side; processing, transformation and trade; and global views.

Om Sri Sai Ram. Sri Sathya Sai International Organization (SSSIO) offers the October 2023 issue of Sathya Sai–The Eternal Companion at the divine lotus feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba with love, reverence, and gratitude. This issue contains the first divine discourse given by Swami on October 17, 1953, about His divine mission for the redemption of humanity. He explains the true purpose of human life and how we can reach the ultimate goal by worshipping the Guru in our minds. He exhorts us to realize our true nature, which leads to permanent, supreme bliss – Brahman Itself. The editorial, Silence – The Path & The Goal, explains the importance and benefits of silence in spiritual practice, as taught by Swami and other great masters. Such understanding and practice will give us joy and take us to the ultimate goal of Self-Realization. The publication contains unique personal experiences of devotees with our beloved Baba. It also features articles on the glory of womanhood, ideal Sai Young Adults, Sathya Sai Education, and loving services rendered by the SSSIO worldwide. A pictorial history of the growth of the SSSIO in Greece shows how Swami’s love, message, and works have spread over the decades. To underscore the importance of the environment, this issue features an article on massive tree planting in Africa as part of the SAI-100 initiative, illustrated with beautiful pictures.